Maltese proverb, min jgħix bit-tama jmut bil- piena –He who lives on hope dies in sorrow. Maybe the apathy we see in certain realities around us is a reflection of this. But I prefer to look at the other side of hope because I believe that hope is what keeps the farmer going. If we take a closer look at nature, we realise that it holds hidden treasures, lessons about life itself. And if a Christian truly contemplates creation, they’ll see a prophecy in all of it, because a Christian is called to see beyond the surface. A farmer sows seeds, living each day with the hope that what he plants will sprout and grow. To him, that tiny seed carries a hidden prophecy, a promise of life in its fullness. And all of this happens without much noise:
“The seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.”
Mark 4:27
In the same way, our lives are built on the hope that what we sow will bloom into something life-giving. We look around us, and in our smallness, we reach out to those in need because we know that even the simplest act of kindness can fill someone else with hope to keep going. Hope and mercy are like two sides of the same coin. Just as there is no real hope without mercy, mercy that does not lead to hope is incomplete.
I often meet young people who don’t necessarily question God’s existence, but rather, they ask: “Where is God when so many people are suffering?” or “Where is He when I go through tough times and everything seems to be against me?” I don’t think anyone truly needs God unless He is near, close to us in our darkest moments. That’s why works of mercy are the most tangible way God draws near to show us that there is hope in whatever we are going through. Nothing is wasted, lost, or without meaning. And He does this through others, through those who feed us, clothe us, welcome us into their homes, or visit us when we are sick or imprisoned.
It’s no coincidence that in Hebrew, the words for hope and waiting are often used together. We see the same link in their shared Latin root. Every waiting period is filled with hope when we find someone who lights the way, someone who reminds us that in His kindness, God wants us to be accompanied.
In the same way, we too can be a source of hope for others through acts of mercy. The prophet Isaiah says:
“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear…” when “you share your food with the hungry, provide the poor wanderer with shelter, clothe the naked, and do not turn away from your own flesh and blood.”
Isaiah 58:7-8
The light in your life is this very hope, a hope that shines not just for those you help but also for you, the one extending a hand with love. Slowly, you begin to realise that in opening yourself to others, your own wounds begin to heal.
For a Christian, hope is never empty, precisely for this reason. Every act of mercy fills waiting times with meaning, it fills them with hope. Because in the kindness of those around me, I begin to taste eternity. Every act of mercy reminds me that life has meaning because it is lived together, with compassion for one another. This is how God remains close, He becomes even closer.
And so, hope in God, hope in what is beautiful, in what is good, in what lasts forever, remains alive. And in this way, every child, every young person, every person can live the present with a certain hope for a brighter future:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future filled with hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11